Dr. A. Bozzini
FAO Regional Representative for Europe, Rome
During the last three decades, the rapid increase of agricultural production in the European Region and North America has been achieved mainly through the application of technologies involving intensive management, often at the cost of progressive deterioration of resources, and causing certain negative environmental impacts.
Reorientation of past policies (which aimed at maximizing production and productivity) is needed to reflect the environmental considerations essential for achieving sustainable development. Fortunately there has been growing interest in environmental issues in almost every country in the European Region since the early 1970s.
The encouragement of farm production systems which place greater reliance on organic recycling, biological nitrogen fixation, and control of pests and diseases by husbandry methods is becoming an explicit objective of government policies for agriculture in many industrialized countries. The development and adoption of such systems are increasingly recommended as an alternative solution to present-day agricultural and environmental problems.
What we call "biological agriculture" has much in common with sustainable agriculture. The same stress is placed on the use of renewable resources, the need for conservation of energy, soil and water resources and the maintenance of environmental quality. Biological farming is a system based on the principle that agriculture is foremost a biological science. The term "biological farming" supersedes "organic farming"; however the two are virtually synonymous.
Biological farming can be defined as a system which attempts to provide a balanced environment, in which the maintenance of soil fertility and the control of pests and diseases are achieved by the enhancement of natural processes and cycles, with only moderate inputs of energy and resources, while maintaining optimum productivity. Such farming systems may also be recommended and easier to transfer to resource-poor developing countries.
Although much is know about biological farming and research on farming systems is now in progress in many countries, more extensive research is needed to assess the full potential of this system as a form or source of practices for sustainable agriculture.
The overall objective of this consultation is to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of experience and experimental data on the present status and future perspectives of biological farming in Europe. Our aim is not to duplicate what has been said in other national or regional conferences on the subject, or in the meetings of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), but to complement them with assessed scientific data.
We hope that this expert consultation will provide an opportunity to evaluate the relevance of biological farming technologies to the needs of farmers and consumers in Europe. Furthermore, it is intended to promote activities and mobilize resources for the improvement of biological farming in European countries. If you feel, as a result of our discussions, that a formal structure is required for continuos cooperation on the subject, FAO will consider and promote the creation of an ad hoc group or a network on biological farming.
Before concluding my remarks, I would like to extend FAO's sincere thanks to the Swiss Government, the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agricultural and the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agricultural Chemistry and Hygiene of Environment provided such excellent facilities.
I wish to thank all the speakers and experts for their contributions, and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Besson, Chairman of our organizing committee, who has ably made all the necessary arrangements for this consultation.
I hope that the deliberations of this consultation will not only increase awareness of the respective national programmes on biological farming but will also result in formulating recommendations for FAO and for participating countries for future action.
This consultation is also called on to discuss the means which would aim at providing technologies for controlling and guaranteeing that the consumer is paying for products of real and genuine "biological agriculture". The establishment of standards and control mechanisms is also necessary and will not be an easy problem to solve.
This consultation is a challenge and opportunity to all of us. It calls not only for information but response and action on the part of governments, producers and consumers.
